


Of Memories and Decisions

by Sunja



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types, Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Basim's backstory, M/M, Some Plot, That Campfire during the Cent Arc, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:08:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27943529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunja/pseuds/Sunja
Summary: When they are sitting around the campfire in Cent while looking for Sigurd, Basim's story hits a little close to home. Eivor decides to tell Basim of his visions. Things progress from there.
Relationships: Eivor/Basim Ibn Ishaq
Comments: 14
Kudos: 119





	Of Memories and Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so remember Cent? And that campfire? Well, now that campfire isn't in a Dane camp but instead in the middle of nowhere, for privacy's sake. 
> 
> I was thinking of naming this "Of Visions and Decisions" but then decided that would be to silly XD

Darkness had fallen quickly and Eivor and Basim had set up camp somewhere in the middle of the Cent countryside. Basim had started a fire while Eivor had unpacked their bags and layed out their sleeping mats. They didn’t have a tent, but the sky was clear and Eivor was reasonably certain it wouldn’t rain. 

They had sat down by the fire, Basim sitting on a log, Eivor on the floor and leaning against one to his right. The conversation had started out light, Eivor had told Basim about an abandoned bureau he’d found and how he had swam through sewers to get in. Basim had laughed at Eivor’s disgusted tone and Eivor had found himself grinning. Basim didn’t laugh much, so it felt like an accomplishment. 

The conversation had quickly turned somber. They both worried for Sigurd and his vision kept replaying in Eivor’s mind. Ever since they’d left Norway he had tried and failed to put it out of his mind. And after the last time he’d seen Sigurd and his brother had been obsessed with this idea of gods… Somehow the betrayal seemed more plausible now and that scared Eivor. He didn’t want to betray Sigurd, but he also couldn’t endorse his obsession and the way the settlement seemed to come second all of a sudden. Eivor hated this line of thought and so he thought to distract himself. By asking Basim about his family. He should have known a man as driven as Basim, who travelled half the world with Sigurd would have a past worth running from. 

And so he’d heard of Basim’s son and his mentor’s betrayal. The pain in Basim’s voice as he talked of the betrayal stung Eivor deep. He didn’t want Sigurd to feel that way. He didn’t want to be the one Sigurd would talk about like that. 

When Basim had finished his story, Eivor sighed and got to his feet. Basim looked up from the fire, but Eivor ignored the questioning look. Instead he went to where he had deposited his bag and pulled out the skin of ale he had brought with him. He came back to the fire and after a moment’s hesitation, he sat down by the log Basim was sitting on instead of his own. Eivor shuffled until his shoulder lightly brushed Basim’s leg and wordlessly uncorked the ale. He took a sip, then held the skin up so Basim could take it. 

“I’ve had visions.”, Eivor eventually said once the skin had passed between them a few times. “Your story reminds me of them.”

Basim was silent for a moment. “What kind of visions?”, he then asked quietly. 

Eivor sighed. “It started out with nightmares. I’ve alway had nightmares about wolves. When I was a child it was because of the attack.” He gestured vaguely at the scars on his neck. “But eventually I stopped being afraid of wolves. But I still dream about them. There is a wolf in my dreams, it’s big with red eyes and in my dreams it scares me.“

Eivor took a deep breath. He had never talked about his dreams with anyone but Valka. He was a little worried that Basim would think him insane for putting as much thought into them as he did. But Basim was silent, waiting for him to go on, his leg pressing into Eivor’s shoulder more firmly as if to provide an anchor. 

“Before we came to England, I had a dream… Valka said it was a vision. I was chasing the wolf through the snow. I saw the norns spinning their fates and a gate… I followed the wolf and came to a cliff. Sigurd was standing there, but he had lost an arm. He said our fates were fixed. When I tried to touch him, he was whisked away into the clouds. And then there was the wolf, towering over me, bigger than I have ever seen it before.” Eivor shuddered at the memory. “Valka thinks it means I’m going to betray Sigurd, but I won’t. It was just a dream.” He had been telling himself that since he’d had it. He hadn’t managed to convince himself yet. 

“Oh Eivor…” Basim put a hand on his shoulder and Eivor leaned into it gladly seeking comfort. 

“You dream of the gods as well, don’t you?”, Basim asked softly.

He nodded. “Valka brews potions so I can understand them better. In my visions I am in Asgard. I see through the eyes of Havi, the High One of Asgard, and I experience the tales of the gods.”

“I suspected when you also had a reaction to Fulke’s tablet.” Basim’s fingers now toyed with a strand of Eivor’s hair. “You are also descended from the Gods. Like Sigurd. Except you are descended from Odin. Be glad Fulke didn’t see it, or she would have taken you instead.” Eivor didn’t quite know what to make of the dry humor in his voice. 

“They’re just dreams.”, he repeated. 

“No they aren’t. They are memories.”, Basim said wistfully. 

Eivor sighed. “I don’t want to believe that. I refuse to betray Sigurd and I don’t want to be like Havi. I see how he acts in Asgard. He’s afraid of his death and instead of finding a way to not be afraid he tries to cheat death no matter the cost to others.”

“What did he do?”, Basim asked. 

Eivor wasn’t sure if Basim just wanted to hear about his dreams, or if he had genuinely never heard the tale of Ragnarok before. But it was nice to finally talk about these dreams to someone, especially someone he trusted. Because he did trust Basim. Even though he still harbored some anger at him for putting ideas of the Gods in Sigurd’s mind. 

“Havi saw in his visions that on Ragnarok he would be killed by a wolf. So he became afraid of every wolf in Asgard’s forests. One day, he had travelled to the well of Urdr and there he found a wolf cub. And he tried to kill it. It wasn’t trying to attack him or anything. It wasn’t evil. It was just a wolf cub that got lost and found its way into the well.” 

Eivor could still feel the bow in his hand, remembered aiming at the poor little cub, letting the arrow fly and then…

“Tyr, the Lord of Justice, stopped him. Havi grew angry and ordered Tyr to cage the little wolf. Tyr followed his command and did the best he could to look after the cub. But one day, it got out. It wasn’t a cub anymore, it had grown, now the size of a big wolf. And Havi chased it… _him_ until he could attack. Havi almost killed the wolf. But it turned out the wolf - Fenrir - was the son of Loki, his blood brother. Loki only wanted to protect his son, that’s why he brought Fenrir to Asgard. But Havi didn’t care, he just wanted to kill him because he was afraid to die.”

“You think Havi was wrong?” 

Eivor looked up at Basim. The Hidden One was looking down at him with an unreadable expression and Eivor suddenly wasn’t sure if they were talking about dreams anymore. Well, he was, but what Basim was thinking of, Eivor had no idea. 

“Of course Havi was wrong. Nobody is born evil. Being evil is a choice and not always one’s own.” Eivor thought of the voice he’d been hearing all his life. That deceiving voice that sounded just like his own that whispered cruel intentions in his ear whenever Eivor made decisions. “I hear his voice.”, he admitted. “Havi. Or Odin. He is cruel, judging, without empathy. He condemns people for making mistakes even when they couldn’t have known better. I don’t ever want to be like that.”

“You truly are wiser than you let on, Eivor Wolf-kissed.” Basim fell still for a moment, then he moved to sit beside Eivor on the ground. 

“I used to have nightmares as well.” Basim admitted. “But not anymore.”

Basim sounded almost wistful and Eivor wasn’t sure what to make of it. Basim was a riddle. But while Eivor wasn’t quite certain where this conversation was taking them, he understood the other thing that was happening here. He had started, when deliberately moving to sit by Basim, but the way Basim had accepted and reciprocated the closeness Eivor was fairly sure the Hidden One was thinking along similar lines as he was. Eivor decided to test the waters a bit further. He moved his leg to brush against Basim’s and met his eyes with a smile. “So what made the nightmares go away?”

Basim stared back intensely and after a moment he gave a short laugh. He leaned closer and Eivor’s heart quickened in anticipation.  
“I’ll tell you later.” And with that Basim tangled his hand in his hair and Eivor met him halfway for a kiss. Basim kissed like he fought, skillfully and unafraid. Eivor felt heat begin to pool in his groin and he moaned in the kiss, grabbing the front of Basim’s tunic to pull him closer. The angle they had to each other while sitting side by side was a bit awkward and Eivor tried to turn more towards Basim, but as soon as he moved his legs Basim took the opportunity and with a slight push they tipped over and Eivor landed on his back. Basim caught himself with one arm pressing down on Eivor’s chest, pinning him to the ground. 

“Get down here!”, Eivor demanded and went to pull Basim into another kiss, but he instead went for Eivor’s neck, kissing and sucking some bruises that Eivor hoped would be hidden by his clothes and beard. He wiggled a little until he could free a leg and wrapped it around Basim’s waist. With that newfound leverage Eivor ground his hips upwards, both of them moaning at the pressure, even through the layers of clothing. Eivor did it again and Basim rewarded him with a kiss, exploring Eivor with his tongue. Eivor let him for a few moments, before he used his free leg and with one swift move flipped them over so Basim was the one on his back. The Hidden One didn’t let that stop him, but after a few more seconds Eivor pulled away. He grinned down at Basim for a moment, then he moved down, fumbling a moment before got the man’s pants open and wrapped his hand around Basim’s cock. He let out a moan and let his head fall back. Eivor gave him a few strokes and then paused until Basim looked down at him. And then, holding eye contact as best as he could, Eivor took him in his mouth and sucked. Basim groaned in pleasure and a hand found its way into Eivor’s hair, gripping firmly despite the missing finger. Eivor took that as an encouragement and began bobbing his head, each time going further down until he reached the back of his throat and swallowed. He pulled back to take a breath and found Basim still watching him, looking absolutely enraptured. Eivor thought he was quite beautiful like this: Hair tousled, eyes wide with pleasure and out of breath. He had been attracted to Basim from the beginning, found him intriguing, his features as well as his story. But he had never imagined Basim would be interested in him this way. And now here they were and Eivor was determined to make it a good time for them both. 

He went to suck Basim again, but a tug at his hair stopped him. Eivor looked up. “What is it?”

Basim’s hand caressed the side of his face and Eivor shuddered at the gentleness of the gesture. 

“I would have you, Eivor.” Basim asked with a rough voice. “If you’d let me.”

And oh did Eivor want to let him. He grinned and reached in one of his pockets where he kept a vial of oil for this exact purpose. He held up the vial and handed it to Basim. “Go on then, Basim of the Hidden Ones. Fuck me!”

Basim took the vial and smirked. “Do you always carry oil with you, or have you been planning this?”

Eivor shrugged. “I do always carry oil. It sometimes helps grease door hinges, but usually it’s for this exact purpose. But I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about this before. With you.”

Eivor could see the surprise on Basim’s face at the admission, but it was pleasant surprise. So Eivor sat up on his knees and pulled Basim in for a kiss. While they were kissing, tongues touching and beards scratching against each other, Eivor began stripping out of his armor. He let the different pieces of equipment and weaponry drop around him, only breaking the kiss when he pulled his outer tunic over his head. 

“Come on then”, Eivor demanded, delighted when Basim immediately took the invitation and untucked Eivor’s shirt, letting his hands roam over his skin, until one hand reached his ass and dipped below the rim of his pants. Eivor hummed with anticipation and simply pushed down his pants. Basim uncorked the vial of oil and coated his hand. 

As soon as he’d put down the vial Eivor kissed him again, forcing himself to relax when he felt Basim’s slicked fingers trail down between his cheeks. Basim trailed a finger around his rim and Eivor wrapped his arms around him before pushing back against the finger. And then, _finally_ , Basim showed mercy and pushed in. Eivor moaned. It had been a while since he’d last slept with a man, and even longer since he’d been the one to be fucked. But the familiar feeling of something inside of him reminded him of how much he liked to be on the receiving end every now and then. 

Eivor closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling, letting his hands roam through Basim’s hair and over his clothes. The angle wasn’t great, but for now Eivor didn’t mind, letting himself relax. He began untying the strings of Basim’s cape, letting it fall away and continuing with the shoulder armor and the wide belt. He stroked Basim’s cock a few times, but he knew they needed to change position eventually. 

“Let me turn around.”, he hummed next to Basim’s ear and delighted in the slight intake of breath that resulted. Basim’s hand retreated and Eivor quickly turned on his knees, slotting his back against Basim’s chest. When Basim returned to fingering him open, the sudden pleasure when he brushed that spot inside of him brought stars to his vision. Eivor let his head fall back and ground down against Basim’s fingers. The pleasure was already building in his loins and he needed Basim inside him soon. 

“Come on, fuck me!”, Eivor demanded after a few more moments. 

“Not yet.” That bastard was smirking, Eivor could hear it in his voice. 

“Basim!”, he growled, as the Hidden One cruelly stopped thrusting his fingers and instead just scissored them and twisted them around. Eivor tried grinding his hips down, but Basim just moved his hand with him. Eivor whined. He wondered for a moment if Basim was going to tease him for much longer and deliberated how he could get him to get on with it, but then he heard Basim chuckle deeply by his ear. “Alright, Eivor.”

And then he pulled out his fingers. Eivor felt empty for a few moments, while Basim found the vial again and slicked his cock. And then, finally, Eivor could feel it nudge at his ass. 

Basim pushed in slowly, making Eivor feel every inch and it felt good. Eivor felt himself slowly giving way, the stretch and feeling of being filled bringing with it a special kind of pleasure. 

As soon as Basim was all the way in, he started pulling back, beginning to thrust, but slowly picking up speed. Eivor began rocking his hips to meet his thrusts, the pleasure continuing to build. He reached back and hooked his hand around Basim’s neck, just to hold onto something. Within moments he felt a hand tangle in his hair and his head was pulled to the side. Their lips crashed together in a messy kiss. Eivor licked and nipped at Basim’s lips, until the strain in his neck became uncomfortable and he just let his head fall back on Basim’s shoulder, feeling the other’s breath on his neck. 

They stayed like that for a while, moving against each other, enjoying the feeling and slowly letting the pleasure build. Eventually, when Eivor felt close, but not close enough, he let himself drop forward, catching himself on his hands. “Finish this!”, he commanded, surprised by how rough from need his own voice sounded.  
Basim gripped his hips and began to fuck into him vigorously, finally hitting the spot that made him see stars over and over again. Before long, Eivor found himself panting, so close to release. He reached down and quickly began stroking himself in time with Basim’s thrusts. 

Only moments later he flew over the edge, spilling over his hand and the ground, barely keeping himself up while his vision whited out for a moment. He felt himself clench around Basim, his hips stuttering and thrusts becoming erratic. And then, moments later, Basim let out a groan and Eivor felt him spill inside him. 

It took a while for either of them to move. Eivor was still catching his breath when Basim pulled out of him. He could feel his seed trickle out his ass and Eivor looked around to find himself an expendable piece of cloth that he could wipe himself down with. He usually didn’t care about the mess, but well. He had only brought this one pair of clothes. 

Once he’d cleaned himself up to his satisfaction, he rightened his pants and tunic, before grabbing his coat. Using the cloak as a blanket, he snuggled up to Basim, who had returned to leaning against the log by the fire. 

“So that was nice.”, Eivor commented, while he made himself comfortable. He lay his head on Basim’s thigh and closed his eyes. 

“It was.” Fingers began gently combing through his hair and Eivor hummed contently. Moments later, he was asleep. 

-

Basim watched the sleeping Norseman. He wasn’t sure what to think anymore. He liked Eivor, thought he was strong, but kind. Sigurd was charismatic, that was why Basim had originally gone with him. Well, that and the nagging voice in his head, telling him he was special. But where Sigurd was righteous and uncompromising, Eivor was more cunning and able to adapt. Basim liked that about him. He had realized early on that Eivor would make a skilled Hidden One, if he were so inclined. All that and more was why he liked Eivor, enjoyed fighting beside him. But now…

Basim had spent the early parts of his life ignoring the voice in his head. That voice, that sounded just like him and pointed out people’s weaknesses and flaws, the voice that looked down on his decisions. Eventually, he had begun using what the voice told him. Knowing people’s weaknesses had made him an excellent Hidden One. A skilled warrior and a master manipulator. 

And then his son had died. 

And suddenly the voice became a lot louder and a lot harder to ignore. Basim learned his name eventually. The voice was Loki, and he had lost a son as well. There was no way to avenge Basim’s son, but he could help Loki avenge his. 

And so he had gone with Sigurd, had allowed Loki to talk him into believing himself a god reincarnated, just so they could hopefully find Loki’s betrayer. Basim had been silently horrified when they had found out Sigurd’s arm. Basim considered Sigurd a friend and he wanted to save him from Fulke’s clutches. Loki had been weirdly disappointed. He hadn’t shared why with Basim, but his urging to rescue Sigurd had faded. 

And then, now, Eivor had told Basim about his own visions. And suddenly, it all made sense. Not to Basim, but to Loki. Basim felt a little better, knowing that Eivor was going through somewhat the same as he. Eivor also had the voice of a god in his mind, also of one he didn’t like. And so Basim had acted on his attraction to Eivor.  
But now, sitting here, he was alone with his thoughts again. Alone with Loki. 

“Kill him.” Loki said, from where he sat on the opposite side of the fire. He wasn’t real, Basim knew that, but he looked very real from here. His red robes, the knife on his belt and the cold, uncompromising stare aimed at Eivor. Eivor, who was still sleeping peacefully. 

“No.”, Basim answered. 

“He is the betrayer!”, Loki hissed. “He tortured my son! Imprisoned him for all eternity!”

“No.” Basim felt himself tense and retracted his hands from Eivor’s hair so he wouldn’t startle him. “You weren’t betrayed by Eivor. You were betrayed by Havi.”

“They are one and the same.”

“They are not.” Basim glared right back at Loki. “You heard him! He doesn’t even like Havi. He’s nothing like him!”

“He will be.” Loki sounded so certain of it. 

“What makes you think that?”

“Because you are just like me.” And there it was, that smug smile that Basim had gotten to know over the years. 

“I am not you!”, he hissed, sounding a lot more certain than he felt. He had listened to Loki’s advice so often, had let him influence his life. Had he become like Loki? He didn’t want to be like him, calculating and bitter, seeing people only as pawns. 

“It doesn’t matter if I am like you.”, he pushed out angrily. “Eivor isn’t like Havi and I refuse to kill him!”

Loki looked at him for a while. Calculating, as always. “Fine.”, the memory of a god sighed. “I’ll do it myself.”

Basim felt shock grip his heart. But Loki wasn’t real. He was only a memory, a fragment. There was no way… 

“You can’t! You’re not real!” Basim went to move Eivor’s head so he could get up, but… 

When had he extended his hidden blade? He looked up at Loki in horror. The god smirked, toying with a knife in his hand. “I’m not real, but you are.”

Basim looked back down, his blade hovering over one of Eivor’s closed eyes. He gripped his arm, pulling away and jumping to his feet. “No!”, he yelled and tried to stab Loki with his blade, but the god vanished into nothingness as soon as the blade pierced his image. 

“What’s going on?”, came Eivor’s alarmed voice from behind him. The man had shot up from his position, an ax already in hand, ready to fight. 

Basim took a deep breath, letting his blade flick back into it’s sheath. Loki was gone. At least for now. “It’s nothing.”, he said and then realized how unbelievable that sounded. He sighed. “Let’s go back to sleep. I’ll tell you in the morning.” 

He wasn’t sure what Eivor was thinking, but after a few moments, the Norse nodded and let the ax fall back to the floor. Basim went to lie down as well this time and Eivor covered them with his cloak. It was nice and warm. 

Tomorrow would be a new day. They would be fine, somehow. 

With that thought, Basim closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

**Author's Note:**

> I really like the whole norse mythology aspect of AC Valhalla, and I also really like Basim. So this is kinda just fulfilling my own wishes. The good old: If it doesn't exist - create it. 
> 
> So yeah, I hope this doesn't read to stiffly, I didn't have the time to write this in one go. 
> 
> Drop me a comment! ;)


End file.
